


Earl's Court

by blackandflaky



Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Short, TARDIS - Freeform, doctor who - Freeform, theaudreyinourstars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-08-20
Updated: 2014-07-24
Packaged: 2018-02-09 23:03:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2001351
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blackandflaky/pseuds/blackandflaky
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A café in Earl's Court, of all places.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Earl's Court

**Author's Note:**

  * For [theaudreyinourstars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/theaudreyinourstars/gifts).



> Hiya! This is literally just a fluffy adventurous story about one of my lovely internet-friends and me. All the locations in this are real and there is, in fact, a Police Box from 1969 in Earl's Court. That's all. I wanted to. Don't judge me.
> 
> My friend is the wonderful person and writer theaudreyinourstars. Go check her out if you like Percy Jackson, Sherlock, Disney and crossovers.
> 
> This is for you, Squishy! This is so going to happen when we finally meet, just you wait.

We met in a café where the most fascinating happening was their 3£ meal deals. Audrey was staying in the Bed-And-Breakfast across from grandad's house and I'd been sent down to Greggs to fetch a couple of those spectacular meal deals - they really are good, you know, freshly baked bread and everything - and it seemed she was doing the same thing.

The red hair had been wound up in a loose bun at the top of her head, but despite the effort, loose wisps kept falling down in front of her vision. She was digging through her wallet, I suppose, muttering incoherently under her breath. Dressed way to nice for a Saturday's morning, she couldn't have been from here.

She looked positively pissed off.

I didn't pay much attention to her at first, having a severe case of bed-hair and a nasty crick in my neck from sleeping on the springy mattress with my younger cousin. Trailing my eyes along the rows of sandwiches and advertisements I got closer and closer, involuntarily catching a bit of what she was so seemingly angry about:

"I'll never get it, ever. Why is _that_ one bigger than the other, it's worth less. Stupid, this is _stupid_."

Her accent was very obviously American and she was very obviously annoyed with our coins. I couldn't blame her and she had a good point with the sizes of the coins compared to the worth in money. Nervously and not sure why, I stepped closer and the girl looked up. She was pretty and tan with freckles spilling across the bridge of her nose and down her cheeks. Her eyes were olive-shaped and a dark brownish green colour that reminded me of moss but I reckon that was just the bad light in the café. It was the colour I imagined to be hazel in sun light.

She smiled, almost apologetic and stepped back.

"Sorry," she said, gesturing uncertainly with the wallet in her hand, "I'm blocking the way." I silently chastised myself. _This, Freddie, this is why we don't talk to people._ I told my intuition to shut up and quickly shook my head.

"No, no it's not that, I, uh... You sounded like you were having trouble." I pointed at her wallet she was holding against her chest with one hand, the other fidgeting with the loose locks of hair. Her mouth took a funny o-shape and I felt the corner of my mouth quirk up at little. She shrugged.

"I'm here on vacation - summer, you know - and I just... Your money's impossible." I laughed and then I winced when the movement made my neck twist unpleasantly, but I tried not to look like I was being set on fire. Nodding, I stuffed my hands in my pockets, a bad habit my mother used to call "un-lady like" which would probably be helpful if I'd known what she meant.

"Yes, I've heard that one before." We stood in silence for a few seconds, me, staring intensely at the tip of my boots, her continuing to dig through the coins with a quiet clatter. I fancied that everyone in the café could hear the wheels in my brain grind against each other, working on something clever I could say, when the girl exclaimed happily:

"Hah, got it!" She seemingly deflated after realizing that she'd yelled out in public and hunched her shoulders a bit up over her reddening cheeks. I hid my smile behind a hand and leaned closer, delighted when she did the same.

"Improbable is more like it, don't you think?" I whispered theatrically and she grimaced, taking a sandwich from one of the shelves.

"I'm so happy I went to find the right money before bying it. This would've been some show at the counter." I was openly and stupidly grinning now. Sticking out my hand, I introduced myself and she took it, frowning slightly. "Freddie? Isn't that a boy's name?" She grimaced again but before she could apologize, I shrugged.

"My brother was only two years old when I was born and he's always wanted a brother. I was named Freya, but little to no one calls me that. So now I'm Freddie." She nodded and let go of my hand. She told me her name was Audrey and I giggled when she apologized for the lack of interesting stories and oblivious older brothers. After I'd found what I needed and we'd both paid, she told me of her two sisters, with slight exasperation and barely concealed tenderness in her voice. She mentioned her two cats, the one named Traveller, the other, who was given up for adoption when she was a kid, had a funny name she couldn't remember. That's what she said, anyway. I learned that the warm ginger colour of her hair was dyed and she was actually a brunette. She crinkled her nose slightly at that.

I hadn't realized that we'd been walking the same way before turning down Pennywern road. We both stopped and looked at each other.

"Where do you live? Uh, stay? If you want to tell me, that is?" I stumbled over the words as usual, but Audrey didn't seem to mind. She grinned, jabbing a thumb over her shoulder.

"Right here. Windsor House. It's not very fancy, but you know." I looked up at the hotel with wide eyes. She asked me what was wrong and I mirrored her movements, pointing to the other side of the road.

"2, Pennywern Road," I said, rubbing the back of my neck, "visiting my granpa." The fact that she probably didn't care hadn't occured to me and she just smiled. I just smiled back. Then she was laughing and then so was I and I thought of how random and funny this entire situation was and that people passing us would just see to girls laughing until they were out of breath and not know that we hadn't known anything about each other ten minutes before.


End file.
